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POPSDefining “Victory” In Iraq Part of the problem here is that the war in Iraq is usually thought of as a single war in Iraq. But there have been at least three wars in Iraq since 2003 – the U.S.-led war against Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party regime, the civil war between Sunni and Shia militias, and the insurgencies against government and international forces waged by a constellation of guerrilla and terrorist groups. All three wars are distinct from each other, and two of the three are already over. The war against Saddam Hussein and his government ended when the regime was overthrown and what remained of its army was disbanded. You might say it didn’t officially end until he was captured in December of 2003, but he effectively lost when he was demoted from absolute dictator to fugitive. No matter what else might happen, Saddam Hussein will never be considered victorious.
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POPSIran Not Alone in Proxy Wars, U.S. Doing Same Republican Pat Buchanan uncovers the truth of why Iran MAY be (so he believes, naively methinks) arming militants in Iraq--if you believe the propaganda from Crocker and Patreus. The fact is that the U.S. is arming militants (i.e. terrorists) against Iran , and Buchanan thinks they are just responding in kind. So just who is fighting "proxy wars", especially when the U.S. is fighting all of this for ISRAEL? If there were more republicans like Buchanan and Ron Paul we would not be in wars presently, nor the dollar worthless, gas prices high, and the economy sinking (due to debt spending on war).
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POPSSaddam's Terror Links
It's true that the Pentagon report found no "smoking gun," i.e., a direct connection on a joint Iraq-al Qaeda operation. Supposedly this vindicates the view that Iraq's liberation was launched on false premises. But the Administration was always cautious, with Colin Powell alleging merely a "sinister nexus" in his 2003 U.N. speech. If anything, sinister is an understatement. The main Iraq intelligence failure was over WMD, but the report indicates that the CIA also underestimated Saddam's ties to global terror cartels. The Administration has always maintained that Iraq is just one front in the war on terror; and the report offers "evidence of logistical preparation for terrorist operations in other nations, including those in the West." In 2002, an IIS memo explained to Saddam that Iraqi embassies were stockpiling weapons, while many of the terrorists trained in Fedayeen camps were dispatched to London with counterfeit documents, where they circulated throughout Europe.
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POPSSaddam's flag no more The Parliament voted 110 to 50 to change the flag at the request of Iraq’s Kurdish minority, who said that it served as a reminder of the cruelty of his regime. (TimesOnline)
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POPSOptimism for Iraq "Iraq needs to maintain the momentum, 2008 is going to be a crucial year." - Staffan de Mistura, UN
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POPSTroop cutbacks to stop! You are kidding right -- former Saddam supporters BACK into office??? So, the lives of thousands for ???? People we are being used to support a select group business needs, and their war!! As soon as they get what they want then everything is back to normal!!! Meanwhile families are torn!!! OH, but not theirs << and I guess that makes it alright.. Wake up America!!
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POPSPolitical progress in Iraq Another blow to the democrats who, after word of the success of the surge, had decided to start pointing fingers at the failed political progress of the Iraqi government.
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POPSWho Will Save His Sorry Butt or Let Him Hang? I'm having a hard time understanding what all the fuss is about. First, I feel that it will only get worse in Iraq once Sadam is gone, but this isn't saying that I disagree with the penalty. Second, we all know who will be blamed for his death. Third, I feel that after many (if not most) of his attorneys and a few judges were slaughtered by Sadam's followers, this surviving attorney may be calling this plea in an attempt to save his own life, after all is said and done. You know, as in proof of "I did everything I could to save his sorry butt, so don't kill me too." Lastly, if Sadam is saved by the bell, who pays to keep him alive in prison and where does he live out his sentence? If it's coming from my hard earned dollars, then hang him. If it's coming out of the pockets of decent hard working Iraqi's then they have some decisions to make. I only hope they make the right one.
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POPSRemember: Saddam Was Our Man NY Times OpEd from March 14, 2003. The United States also sent arms to the new regime, weapons later used against the same Kurdish insurgents the United States had backed against Kassem and then abandoned. Soon, Western corporations like Mobil, Bechtel and British Petroleum were doing business with Baghdad -- for American firms, their first major involvement in Iraq. This history is known to many in the Middle East and Europe, though few Americans are acquainted with it, much less understand it. Yet these interventions help explain why United States policy is viewed with some cynicism abroad. George W. Bush is not the first American president to seek regime change in Iraq. Mr. Bush and his advisers are following a familiar pattern.
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POPSSaddam Hussein Is Sentenced to Death International legal experts and human rights observers have questioned the impartiality of the trial court, which was created to try top leaders of the ousted government during the 15-month period of formal American occupation following the invasion in the spring of 2003. "We saw this trial, along with the others, as an opportunity to bring justice to those Iraqis who had suffered horribly under Baath Party rule," Richard Dicker, director of the international justice program at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement on Sunday. "Unfortunately, we believe the serious shortcomings in the fairness of the proceedings undermined the legitimacy and credibility of the trial."
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